The quotes that hurt people usually aren’t dodgy. They’re incomplete. These four checks take less than an hour, and they protect your deposit.

I spent years on the supply side of building. The same few gaps catch people out again and again, and almost all of them can be spotted before you hand over any money.

1. Are they registered?

Look the builder up on the WA Building and Energy register. It takes two minutes. Check the name and registration number on the register match the ones on your paperwork. Building and Energy: building or renovating your home

2. Home indemnity insurance

In WA, residential building work worth more than $20,000 must be covered by home indemnity insurance. The builder has to get the certificate before claiming any payment from you or starting work. So ask for the certificate. A good builder will have it ready. Building and Energy: home indemnity insurance

3. What does the deposit actually buy?

Most builds start with a preliminary agreement and a deposit, before the full contract. Before you pay it, ask:

• What is it paying for: plans, soil test, site survey?
• Is any of it refundable, and when?
• What happens if your finance falls over?
• Does it come off the final contract price?

Before you sign a building contract or pay a deposit, the builder must also give you a “Notice for the homeowner” that sums up your rights under WA law. Read it.

4. What’s NOT in the price?

This is where budgets blow out. Go through the quote and tick off each of these:

• Site works: levelling, soil class, rock, fill. Is there an allowance, and what if it’s exceeded?
• Retaining: sloping blocks often need it. It’s rarely in a base price.
• Crossover: the driveway from the road to your boundary. Some estates require a specific finish.
• Landscaping and fencing: often excluded, and estates may require them within a set time.
• Provisional sums: allowances, not fixed prices. Ask which items are PS and how they’re adjusted.

Get it in writing. If it’s not written in the quote, assume it isn’t included.

General information only, not legal advice. Rules checked 19 October 2026.